David Watts

As someone named David Watts this song has provided my friends with no end of amusement. Especially the line, "he is so gay and fancy-free". I can't tell you how many voicemails I've received that simply sing, "fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa". I wish I could say my parents were inspired to name me after the song but they'd never heard it until I played it for them. Beyond the name I have nothing in common with the title character. I'm perpetually broke, can't get a date to save my life and certainly a "dull and simple lad". I, too, wish I could be like "David Watts".

I always took this song to be a dig on the popular kids in school. There's always one David Watts in every school, that all the other kids wish they could be like.

Whenever I listen to The Kinks, I always seem to be hearing lots of irony. Here too, it doesn’t seem to me that this is a straightforward ode to a guy. For example, note the last few lines:

And all the girls ... try their best but can't succeed For he is of pure and noble breed

ant then a sort of significant pause that I believe means that David doesn’t seem to be interested in girls...

1. Daivd is greatly admired (wanting to be like/with) by his fellow schoolmates, but naturally and ironically this success itself seperates him even more.

2. While Ray is mocking this "I wish I could be like" admiration, he is actually jealous.

3. David is actually gay, so much of this admiration from others is strictly superficial.

David Watts was an actual person and friend of the band.

He also supposedly had a big crush on Dave ;-). He's been immortalized in song by Ray.

I always liked the self-effacing lyrics about how he's such a dirty, unwashed lunk next to this wonderful David Watts. Blur, for their song "Tracy Jacks", said the name for the title character of that song was influenced by the title character of this song.

I always thought that David Watts was some sort of role model to this guy. He seems to have alot of respect for him and seems to admire him an awful lot, "For he is of pure and noble breed" I also like the comparison between him and David Watts: "I am a dull and simple lad" I guess it could be about 'popular kids' at school, but i think its more intense than that, he dreams about being like him. I suppose you could also say that David Watts isn't real and he's just an imaginary person thats everything the guy in the song wants to be.

I wish I could have all that he has got...

I want to be like David Watts...

one of the kinks' best songs! i agree with professorknowitall--the self-effacing lyrics are really funny, but they also make for a really accurate depiction of kids' tendency to sort of idolize somebody. it could be david watts, who is a gay and fancy-free perfect/popular kid, or a pop culture icon. personally, i used to idolize indiana jones. this is a really simple song and it captures that tendency amazingly well. also, i always thought there was an element of schoolboy crush here. maybe that's just me. and if lola bat is right, maybe ray was writing this song to make the real david watts feel good.

dwatts13's post has got me cracking up. fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa